se to complain both of her and of the nobles,
who had sent them on a mission from which they would gladly have been
excused.[1223] But Margaret had already written to her brother to keep
them in Spain until the troubles in Flanders should be ended.[1224] On
the reception of the letter of her envoys, however, she replied that she
had already written to the king to request leave for them to
return.[1225] I have found no record of such a letter.

In the spring of 1567, the duke of Alva was sent to take command of the
Netherlands. Such an appointment, at such a crisis, plainly intimated
the course to be pursued, and the host of evils it would soon bring on
the devoted country. The conviction of this was too much for Bergen,
heightened as his distress was by his separation, at such a moment, from
all that was most dear to him on earth. He fell ill of a fever, and grew
rapidly worse, till at length, it was reported to Philip that there was
no chance for his recovery unless he were allowed to return to his
native land.[1226]

[Sidenote: DEATH OF BERGEN.]

This placed the king in a perplexing dilemma. He was not disposed to let
the marquis escape from his hands even by the way of a natural death. He
was still less inclined to assent to his return to Flanders. In this
emergency he directed Ruy Gomez, the prince of Eboli, to visit the sick
nobleman, who was his personal friend. In case Gomez found the marquis
so ill that his recovery was next to impossible, he was to give him the
king's permission to return home. If, however, there seemed a prospect
of his recovery, he was only to hold out the hope of such a
permission.[1227] In case of the sick man's death, Gomez was to take
care to have his obsequies performed in such a manner as to show the
sorrow of the king and his ministers at his loss, and their respect for
the lords of the Low Countries![1228] He was, moreover, in that event,
to take means to have the marquis's property in the Netherlands
sequestered, as, should rebellion be proved against him, it would be
forfeited to the crown.--This curious, and, as it must be allowed,
highly confidential epistle, was written with the king's own hand. The
address ran, "Ruy Gomez--to his hands. Not to be opened nor read in the
presence of the bearer."

Which part of the royal instruction the minister thought best to follow
for the cure of the patient,--whether he gave him an unconditional
permission to return, or only held out the h